Generally, a rear deck cover of an open car provided with a storable hard top roof is supported above a wheelhouse. The rear deck cover is displaceable between an opened position and a closed position.
A rear deck cover of a conventional structure for supporting a deck cover of an automobile is supported immediately above a wheelhouse. A designer may employ a vehicle design so that a vehicle chamber rear portion (a rear deck cover) is tapered rearward. If the designer tries to increase rigidity of a vehicle body rear portion of such a vehicle design, a rear fender panel may overlap a top portion of the wheelhouse in the vertical direction. In this case, it is difficult for the rear deck cover to be supported immediately above the wheelhouse.
A rear deck cover of a certain type of open car is designed so that the rear deck cover is operable only when the open car is stopped. However, there is a strong demand for operating a rear deck cover when an open car runs at a low speed. In this case, a large load may also act on the rear deck cover and a link mechanism which opens and closes the rear deck cover.
A link mechanism may be mounted on a wheelhouse by a bracket. In this case, the designer may thicken the bracket, which is welded to the wheelhouse, to improve load resistance performance. If the designer gives a large value to the thickness dimension of the bracket, a welded portion between the wheelhouse and the bracket may be peeled off when a large load acts on the bracket and the wheelhouse.
The designer may give a large value to the thickness dimension of the wheelhouse in place of mounting a bracket. In this case, there may be an excessive increase in weight of the vehicle. The designer may weld a bracket to a wheelhouse in an oblique direction so as to reduce load acting in a direction of causing exfoliation of the welded portion. However, if the designer employs an oblique mounting structure between a bracket and a wheelhouse, a link mechanism which opens and closes a rear deck cover has to be mounted to the bracket in an oblique direction. In this case, it may be impossible to efficiently manufacture a vehicle body rear portion structure.
JP 2007-84018 A discloses a structure for supporting a link mechanism of a rear deck cover. The link mechanism is supported by a top portion of a rear wheelhouse. If the designer applies a vehicle design to the structure disclosed in JP 2007-84018 A so that a rear deck cover is tapered rearward of the vehicle, there may be the aforementioned drawbacks.
JP 2014-189259 A discloses a vehicle body side portion structure of an open car. According to JP 2014-189259 A, upper and lower bulk members respectively connect a pillar outer member and a pillar inner member to an upper portion and a lower portion of a center pillar. JP 2014-189259 A discloses a mounting bracket to mount a link mechanism for opening and closing a roof. The mounting bracket is mounted inside a vehicle chamber between the upper and lower bulk members of the pillar inner member. The mounting bracket is formed into a box shape. Since the mounting bracket is connected to the lower bulk member, the support portion of the link mechanism is reinforced.
The link mechanism of the conventional structure disclosed in JP 2014-189259 A is not supported on a wheelhouse but is supported on the center pillar.
With regard to a general vehicle body rear portion structure, an upper rear member extending in the vehicle width direction is mounted between left and right body side panels situated in a vehicle body rear portion.
Rearward arrangement of an upper rear member contributes to securing an auxiliary device installation space to enlarge a vehicle chamber without extending an entire length of a vehicle. In addition, the rearward arrangement of the upper rear member also contributes to securing an opening area of a trunk room. Therefore, there is a strong demand for the rearward arrangement of the upper rear member.
On the other hand, there is a strong demand for arranging a rear end near a vehicle body front portion. If the rear end is arranged near the vehicle body front portion, there is a decrease in weight of the vehicle body so as to improve turning performance of the vehicle.
If the designer mounts the upper rear member in the vehicle body rear portion, and if the designer mounts the rear end near a vehicle body front portion to meet the aforementioned demand, a fuel supply port may be situated on a relatively front side. A fuel feed pipe for supplying fuel to a fuel tank is formed in the fuel supply port. The fuel feed pipe may obstruct forming a large trunk space.
JP 2005-186828 A discloses an open car. The open car is provided with a rear deck member in correspondence to an upper rear member. A fuel supply port is formed in a vehicle body side portion behind the rear deck member.
The fuel supply port of a conventional structure disclosed in JP 2005-186828 A is situated behind the rear deck member. The fuel feed pipe connecting the fuel supply port to a fuel tank may obstruct forming a large trunk space. Accordingly, the designer may not arrange the rear end near the vehicle body front portion enough to obtain effects of a reduction in weight of a vehicle body or improvement of turning performance of a vehicle because of the presence of the fuel feed pipe.
JP H11-20561 A discloses a structure for supporting a jack, which is used as an auxiliary device. The jack is supported by a rear side upper portion of an inner member forming a wheelhouse. A front portion of the jack is supported at a position higher than a rear portion of the jack (so-called slant support structure).
However, JP H11-20561 A fails to disclose a coupling structure between an upper rear member and a jack.
A space for storing an auxiliary device is formed in front of the upper rear member. A trunk room is formed behind the upper rear member. Therefore, there is a demand for securing a large capacity for the front and rear spaces.
A reduction in thickness of an upper rear member contributes to giving a large capacity for a space, in which an auxiliary device is stored, and a space for a trunk room. However, the reduction in thickness of the upper rear member may result in a decrease in rigidity of the upper rear member. An increase in thickness of a panel for use in forming an upper rear member may increase rigidity of the thinned upper rear member. In this case, a large stress may be, however, concentrated on a member (hereinafter, called as a peripheral member) around the upper rear member. Therefore, the designer has to prepare a structure for reinforcing the peripheral member. Addition of the reinforcing structure may result in an increase in weight and cost of the vehicle body. Without addition of the reinforcing structure, cracks may happen to the peripheral member, and a welded portion welded by spot welding may be peeled off.
JP 4,654,758 B discloses an upper deck member. The upper deck member includes a front panel, an upper panel and a rear panel. The front panel, the upper panel and the rear panel form a closed section structure. The upper deck member of the closed section structure is reinforced by a gusset.
JP 4,654,758 B fails to disclose technical ideas about how to avoid stress concentration on a peripheral member.
JP 2005-186828 A discloses a rear deck member. The rear deck member is mounted between upper portions of a pair of left and right quarter panels situated in a vehicle body rear portion. An inner panel forming a pair of left and right wheelhouses includes a suspension mounting portion situated below both ends of the rear deck member. A pair of left and right gusset members connects between the rear deck member and a proximal portion of the suspension mounting portion of the inner panel. Each of the gusset members is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction from the inner panel toward the rear deck member.
JP 2005-186828 A also fails to disclose technical ideas about how to avoid stress concentration on a peripheral member.